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Differing views on virtual colonoscopy accuracy

Demonstrating clearly that not all virtual colonoscopies are equal, the study, published in the December 2003 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine and the American Journal of Roentgenology, found the results found using the Viatronix V3D-Colon system for primary 3D reading to be equal to or better than optical colonoscopy results.

14 Apr 2004

$Pittsburgh eye center to offer refractive procedure for presbyopia$

Pittsburgh eye center to offer refractive procedure for presbyopia

UPMC Eye Center has become one of the first in Allegheny County to offer conductive keratoplasty (CK) for presbyopia. Recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is the first and only FDA-approved vision technology that improves near vision in the millions of baby boomers with presbyopia, the age-related eye condition that sets in after age 40.

14 Apr 2004

$Hip fracture patients should be operated on within 24 hours to reduce pain$

Hip fracture patients should be operated on within 24 hours to reduce pain

Hip fracture patients should be operated on within 24 hours of hospital admission because it reduces pain, shortens hospital stays and may limit the probability of major complications occurring, such as pneumonia and arrhythmias, according to the authors of a new study supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

13 Apr 2004

CT colonography lacks the sensitivity of conventional colonoscopy

A new study published in JAMA on CT colonography or 'virtual' colonoscopy using 2-D imaging finds that this test lacks the sensitivity and specificity of conventional colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening. Study co-author and American College of Gastroenterology President Douglas K. Rex, M.D. is available for interviews.

13 Apr 2004

Hospital stay for heart attack shortest ever

Heart attack patients are being discharged from hospital care faster than ever, and a new study indicates patients do not experie any adverse affects from such quick release.

13 Apr 2004

Transplants of older kidneys work as well as younger ones

According to the article, in the United States, the percentage of deceased kidney donors aged 55 and older has increased during the last decade. This is the result of both lower death rates (particularly from trauma) in people aged 18 to 35, and an increased acceptance of kidneys from older deceased donors.

12 Apr 2004

Process to minimize the side effect of painful arthritis

The University of Missouri Friday announced the discovery of a process to minimize the side effect of painful arthritis that develop after knee surgeries. The procedure will be tested in human clinical trials this summer if the process is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the Columbia, Mo-based school said.

12 Apr 2004

More Americans resorting to stomach-shrinking surgery

Americans are increasingly resorting to stomach-shrinking surgery so much so that health experts and insurance companies are becoming alarmed about the safety issues and cost of such operations.

11 Apr 2004

Patients with coronary artery blockages can be treated safely using drug coated stents

The researchers followed 155 consecutive patients treated with multiple sirolimus-eluting stents between April 2002 and March 2003. Each patient had at least two lesions blocking blood flow in different coronary arteries. Earlier studies have demonstrated that patients with a single, simple artery narrowing held open with a sirolimus-eluting stent are less likely to need retreatment than similar patients who received a bare metal stent. However, those studies excluded patients with complex or multiple artery lesions.

6 Apr 2004

Number of breaths given during CPR may be linked to survival

Researchers have identified a factor that may improve cardiac arrest survival rates according to a first-of-its-kind study of paramedic responses reported in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

5 Apr 2004

Surgeons suggests that the development of osteoarthritis in the knee following an injury may be both predictable and preventable

A new theory of joint function presented in a symposium at the 71st annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons suggests that the development of osteoarthritis in the knee following an injury may be both predictable and preventable.

5 Apr 2004

New treatment for Tourette Syndrome, patients experience significant resolution of symptoms following brain surgery

A neurosurgical team at University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC) has, for the first time in North America, applied a new surgical approach to the treatment of Tourette syndrome, resulting in the immediate and nearly complete resolution of symptoms for the patient, who has suffered from this neurologic disorder since he was a child.

1 Apr 2004

First large-scale clinical trial of chelation therapy, a controversial treatment for heart disease

NYU Medical Center has begun enrolling patients in the first large-scale clinical trial of chelation therapy, a controversial treatment for heart disease widely practiced by complementary and alternative medicine physicians. The new, government-funded nationwide study will determine whether the therapy benefits people with coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

30 Mar 2004

Cardiac sympathetic denervation the heart’s control from the sympathetic nervous system

Surgery to cut part of the nerves to the heart can reduce the risk of fainting or sudden death in young people with a heart rhythm disorder called long QT syndrome (LQTS), researchers reported in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

29 Mar 2004

A simple blood test could determine whether older women with diabetes would benefit from, or be harmed by, vitamin doses designed to protect their ailing hearts

A simple blood test could determine whether older women with diabetes would benefit from, or be harmed by, vitamin doses designed to protect their ailing hearts, according to researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

26 Mar 2004

New computerized tool to assist surgeons in planning cryosurgery

Carnegie Mellon University's Yoed Rabin is leading an interdisciplinary research team in developing a new computerized tool to assist surgeons in planning cryosurgery, now being used to freeze undesired tissues in prostate cancer patients.

26 Mar 2004

Growth factor protein succeeds in growing new coronary arteries

Three patients of the UC Heart & Vascular Center have grown new coronary artery branches to increase blood flow to the heart after receiving a new growth factor protein (FGF1) in November 2003. All three patients showed improved blood flow to the heart twelve weeks following the injection.

26 Mar 2004

Risk Assessment of Diabetic Retiopathy Improved by Screening Methods

Eli Lilly and Company as part of a continued commitment to innovation in the area of diabetes, announced today the creation of a strategic relationship with EyeTel Imaging, Inc. to improve screening and detection of diabetic retinopathy, one of the potentially devastating diabetic microvascular complications. The agreement, which expands the relationship between the two companies, will provide EyeTel with on-going operational support from Lilly, allowing EyeTel to provide primary care physicians access to state-of-the-art patient risk assessment tools and education programs.

23 Mar 2004

New Treatment for Chronic Head Pain

Dr. Levy pioneered a procedure known as supraorbital nerve stimulation or SOS, in which neurotransmitters are implanted into the forehead to block head pain. Tiny wires are burrowed under the skin until the precise location of pain is marked by a tingling response to electrical charge. The wires are kept in place for a week, and if pain is lessened and the patient is comfortable with the technology, neurotransmitters are surgically implanted under local anesthesia. The patient is able to control pain relief by manually adjusting the level of electrical stimulation through a hand held device.

22 Mar 2004

Information about Lasik eye surgery, a new technique to treat cataracts

Using an advanced microsurgical technology, called Aqualase(R), a New York eye surgeon is now able to use a procedure to essentially "wash" cataracts away. "By using Aqualase(R) to treat my cataract patients, I am able to dissolve the clouded lens with pulses of warm, naturally balanced salt water solution in order to 'wash away' the lens layer by layer," said Satish Modi, M.D., F.R.C.S. ( C ), a leading ophthalmic surgeon in Poughkeepsie.

22 Mar 2004